by Silva Payne

Created on: October 29, 2009   Last Updated: January 27, 2012

Socks are cheap. Few people these days knit their own socks, and even fewer are likely to bother to darn old socks when a hole appears or the fabric starts to get thin. The art of how to darn a sock, or for that matter any other knitted fabric garment, is fast disappearing. Taking the time to learn this skill will not only help you in other knitting and crochet projects, but can still help prolong the useful life of a favourite pair of socks.

If at all possible, a sock should be darned before a hole appears. When the sock fabric has worn away to leave a very fine gauze-like surface, that is the ideal time to darn a patch onto it. This way, the ends have not yet unraveled, and you still have the weave and weft threads to guide your own stitching.

You should always use a darning thread as close to the original yarn fiber as possible. If the sock is wool, then a woollen yarn should be used; if the sock is silk, then silk thread should be used, and so on. You will also need a blunt-point darning needle. These are often used for canvas tapestry work. The needle will be passing through the holes already made in the knitted fabric and so does not need a sharp point. An additional piece of equipment that makes darning easier but which may be difficult to obtain is a darning "mushroom". This is a plastic or smooth wooden object, literally in the shape of a mushroom. Elderly members of your family may have one tucked away somewhere, or you can ask in any yarn or sewing shop and they may be able to order you one.

Thread your needle with a long length of whatever yarn you are using. Do not tie a knot in the loose end. If you are using a mushroom, then push it into the sock (turned right side out) so that the domed top piece of the mushroom is directly underneath the area to be darned. If you are darning free-style, then insert your non-sewing hand into the sock in the same way.

Make 2 or 3 small running stitches to secure the yarn close to the darning site; this is instead of making a knot which will then irritate your foot when you wear the sock. Proceed to make small running stitches neatly all the way around the hole or darning site; these help to prevent ladders from forming if the fabric stitches break. Next, if there are still some fine threads available, begin to make larger running stitches through the fine threads from left to right, close together, starting and ending outside the ring of small running stitches. If there are no fine threads available, make long running stitches from one side of the hole to the other, left to right, close together and beginning and ending outside the ring of small running stitches. Once the hole or darning site has been covered from left to right, begin to work from top to bottom and then bottom to top, weaving your needle in and out of the long running stitches you have just made. If there are fine threads available, pass the needle through these as well as under and over the running stitches you have made.

Once you have worked completely from top to bottom all the way across the long running stitches, inspect your work to see how well the darning has covered the hole or darn site. For coarse yarns, this single layer of darning may be enough. If the hole still looks patchy or thin, then you can begin to add another layer of darning, this time in a diagonal pattern, but again starting and ending each line of stitches outside the original ring of small running stitches.

When you are satisfied that your darning is thick enough to withstand wear, finish off by stitching a couple of small running stitches over and over each other in the reverse of the darn and cut the yarn close to your stitching.

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